SAF Brandan Bishop Scouting Report

Athleticism
+Shows solid range, rolling laterally with ease
+Stays with quicker backs and receivers who try and change direction or juke him
-Only average speed and leaping ability, has to play farther off the line to give him extra cushion
-Looked slow in his transition from backpedal to sprint, looks like WR’s could get behind him
-Relies mostly on instincts and diagnostic ability to stay ahead of plays

Intelligence
+Extremely smart player, makes coverage adjustments on the fly and appears to be the leader of the defensive backs
+Sees the whole field and rarely gets sucked in on play fakes
+Stays true to his assignments and doesn’t bite on route fakes or get caught out of position on misdirection plays
-Is more read and react that instinctual, he makes the play but often makes it after a catch is made or after the RB has gained some yardage

Leadership
+Defensive Back Leader, will audible coverage adjustments
+Leads by example, not afraid to lay the big hit or toss a WR around whose trying to block him
-At times is too over aggressive and probably should have been flagged for throwing players down after the whistle

Zone Coverage
+You can see a clear comfort level Bishop has when the play to stay in front of him
+Is able to get a good break on the ball by seeing the route and watching the QB’s eyes
+Rolls laterally with the QB as he breaks the pocket
+Heady player who is aware of where WR’s are as they enter and exit his zone

Man Coverage
-Not an ideal slot cover option on WR or TE
-Slow transition time will cause him to get eaten up
+Could be useful by using his physicality to apply press coverage off the line of scrimmage

Run Support
+Has experience playing up in the box
+Knows how to stay small in traffic and avoid getting engaged by a blocker
+Attacks the LOS downhill when asked
+Strong tackler who wraps up well, but can also deliver the big shot
+Always looking to rip the ball loose

Overview:
Bishop is a prospect with good size, and great prodcution. Those numbers though are a bit deceiving as a lot of his INT’s have come from tipped passes. We do want give him some credit though because you still have to be in the right place at the right time to make those picks. We project Bishop to be a versatile SS in the NFL who can play deep in coverage or come up into the box. He tackles extremely well and when the play stays in front of him he’s very good at getting after the ball. Bishop’s best quality though may be his Football IQ and how hard it is to fake him out or make him take false steps. He’s clearly a student of the game and does more than his share of film work to identify how his opponents run their fakes.